With news of many new mobile payment services, faster networks and new features hitting us daily, it is no surprise that we are more connected than ever. And accompanying that global connection to society we have come to expect a certain level of convenience and quality. Yankee Group, a research firm from Boston, MA, has presented extensive research on the future of mobile usage and mobile transactions. Their research shows that at the conclusion of 2010, total value of global mobile transactions was at $162 billion, and they anticipate that it will be $984 billion by 2014. To supplement the research, Yankee Group conducted a consumer survey, which found results showing that, although mobile transactions are expected to increase drastically, less than 10 percent of consumers would be willing to pay extra or mobile transaction services such as mobile banking, mobile coupons and mobile payments.

“Every silver lining comes with a big, dark cloud and the explosion in mobile transactions is much the same,” said Nick Holland, senior analyst at Yankee Group. “Although mobile transaction service usage is increasing phenomenally, consumers show little interest in paying any additional fees for them. If banks, mobile operators, card networks and retailers want to tap mobile transactions as a revenue stream, they’ll need to come up with more creative schemes than per-transaction fees.”

Revenue and the opportunity for more money is always in the forefront of corporate decision makers, and this is an obvious possibility with such an explosion in transactions. Although at this point, with over 90 percent of consumers refusing to pay additional fees, attempting to exploit this opportunity could have major implications on the future of mobile transactions.

Yankee Group’s mobile transaction forecast tracks metrics on mobile banking, international and domestic remittances, contactless cards, mobile coupons and NFC communications. Other forecast findings include:

• Asia-Pacific overtakes EMEA as the mobile banking powerhouse: In 2010, EMEA leads all regions with 42 percent of worldwide active mobile banking users, followed by Asia-Pacific (38 percent), North America (16 percent) and Latin America (4 percent); but by 2014, Asia-Pacific leads with 54 percent, followed by EMEA (32 percent), North America (10 percent) and Latin America (4 percent).

• Mobile coupon usage explodes: The number of active mobile coupon users is expected to grow from 2.7 million in 2010 to nearly 35 million in 2014.

• Near field communications (NFC) takes off: The number of NFC-enabled phones will grow from just 834,000 in 2010 to 151 million in 2014, a CAGR of more than 300 percent. Similarly, the value of NFC-based transactions will explode from $27 million in 2010 to $40 billion in 2014.

[via Yankee Group]

The post Global Mobile Transactions To Reach $1 Trillion by 2014 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Golf is a sport of patience and technique, while firearms are essentially contained explosions that launch projectiles into targets. The two hobbies, though both involving a small projectile, are never usually associated, let alone mentioned in the same sentence. That is until now, New Century NcStar, Inc., a manufacturer of gun accessories has managed to find a way to combine the two distinctly different hobbies, with an assault rifle attachment that can launch golf balls over 250-yards.

It apparently works on most AR-15, M4 and M16 rifles, and replaces the muzzle brake or flash hider at the tip of the barrel. Machined from solid-stock steel, it is significantly heavy, though you probably won’t be hiking this up a mountain. There is no need to alter your firearm, it simply fits on to fire your golf balls 250-yards using .223 BLANKS (BAM-006); the manufacturer notes not to use live rounds. It has be described as “the funniest attachment ever purchased” but needless to say, the launcher is still attached to a high-power rifle and misuse is dangerous, so it should be handled with the highest level of care.

So if you have been waiting for the opportunity to be able to enjoy your two favorite pastimes of golf and shooting, or if you just want to shoot the ball as far as Tiger, this gadget may be up your alley, provided that you do own an assault rifle. A new wave of golfing could be coming.

[Geekologie via Cheap and Dirt]

The post Golfball Assault Rifle Lets You Shoot As Far As The Pros appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Whether or not you choose to admit it, we have all been plagued with the unfortunate situation of having smelly shoes. Until now we have had to resort to insoles, deodorant or sprays. U.S. company Shoe Care Innovations have come up with the world’s first functioning ultraviolet shoe cleaner. The SteriShoe UV Shoe sanitizer safely cleans and disinfects the inside of your shoes, 100 percent free of chemicals, with the use of ultraviolet light.

It is ideal for sufferers of tinea pedis, commonly known as, athlete’s foot, toenail fungus or just unwanted shoe odor, and it is also highly recommended for people with diabetes. Diabetes may cause poor blood circulation leading to a loss of sensation and potentially untreated ulcers, which may result in amputation. And so clean shoes are an important measure for all people with diabetes in order to keep healthy feet.

Using ultraviolet light for sterilization is by no means a brand new innovation; it is commonly used in hospitals, public swimming pools and in other water treatment systems. Though using UV is relatively safe, it is still recommended that direct contact with the light should be avoided. With this in mind the SteriShoes comes equipped with two important safety features: a compression sensor that requires the sanitizer to be compressed in a shoe in order to turn on, and a second sensor that scans the environment, only allowing the device to activate a clean in a closed, dark place (such as a cupboard or closet). If one of these requirements is not met, the device will shut off automatically, even while in the middle of cleaning. It doesn’t guarantee an end to sweaty feet, but it does guarantee a consistently clean and odor-free shoe for you to keep your feet, sweaty or not.

[GizMag via SteriShoe]

The post SteriShoe zaps away shoe smells with UV appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

As of year end 2010, a little over a third (31%) of all mobile users in the United States were using smartphones. According to Nielsen, Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic consumers were the most likely to own a smartphone with both at 45%, followed by African-American consumers at 33% and, with only 27%, White mobile users were the least likely to choose a smartphone over a feature phone in their mobile purchases. It was also found that there is a significant skew towards the younger mobile consumers in the population as being smartphone users.

Research data from Nielsen goes on to categorize each ethnic group and the percentages of that group that prefer specific smartphone operating systems. Preferences among White and Hispanic mobile users are nearly identical with similar numbers for the three major platforms: Android, BlackBerry and iPhone. Compare that to the other two ethnic groups, both of which seem to prefer one platform to the others. It was found that 31% of the smartphone-owning African-American population had BlackBerry devices, and 36% of Asian/Pacific Islanders owned an iPhone.

We can only assume why these numbers turned out to be this way, whether it is only a coincidence or if there really is a cultural or a universal preference among people of certain races, but it is interesting to see where the pieces are falling.

[HuffPo]

The post Differences in smartphone preferences between races appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Despite a few complaints from some would-be customers about the stability of Verizon’s website, Mead claimed that “unprecedented customer orders” were placed online through them. I guess there were just a few slow customers who were not able to get up early enough to snag a guaranteed pre-order. The sales began on Thursday morning at 3:00AM for customers already loyal to Verizon, and just 2 hours later at 5:00AM numbers had already exceed any of Verizon’s previous first-day records.

Pre-orders are now, for obvious logistical reasons, closed, and the next round is not to be expected until February 9, a day before the general market launch of the iPhone 4 on the Verizon network. On February 10 everyone else will be able to get their hands on Verizon’s take on the Apple smartphone, with the company opening its over 2000 Verizon Wireless Communications stores at 7 am, as well the iPhone will also be available at Apple store locations, Best Buy, select Wal-mart locations and online through www.verizonwireless.com and www.apple.com.

[SlashGear]

The post Verizon’s iPhone 4 pre-order sales a success appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

We have a hunch why this rumor may turn out to be more than just an excited blogger writing about his dreams at night. Qualcomm has working on their dual-core MSM8x60 development platform and they demoed it during this year’s CES hinting at an early Q2 release, which isn’t far-fetched to say may coincide with the Pyramid’s May 2011.

Not all of the MSM8x60’s features will be making it into the HTC Pyramid, but we suspect that 1080p recording and playback will definitely be present, and it would also not be too much to expect the 16-megapixel camera. It is also speculated that if will feature the Adreno 220 GPU, which is strong competition for NVIDIA’s GeForce GPU.

It can be expected that HTC will want to show off their new dual-core devices during Mobile World Congress later this month, though it is doubtful they will be making any U.S. product announcements. Those are more likely reserved for CTIA in March, which makes sense because of the May release to U.S. carriers.

And for the interest of our more technically inclined readers, below are the features of the MSM8x60.

Features of the MSM8x60 include:

• Scorpion asynchronous dual-CPU cores, up to 1.2GHz for faster response and processing
• Integrated 3G mobile broadband connectivity
• MSM8260 support for HSPA+ networks – up to 14 Mbps downloads and 5.6 Mbps uploads – as well as GSM, GPRS and EDGE
• MSM8660 support for HSPA+ networks – up to 14.4 Mbps downloads and 5.76 Mbps – as well as CDMA2000 1X, 1xEV-DO Rel A/B, GSM, GPRS and EDGE
• Low-power 45nm process technology for higher integration and performance
• High-definition (1080p) video recording and playback up to 30 frames per second
• Multiple video codecs: (MPEG-4, MPEG-2, H.264, H.263, VC-1, DivX, WMV-9, Sorenson Spark, VP6)
• High-performance GPU – up to 88M triangles/sec and 532M 3D pixels/sec and dedicated 3D/2D acceleration engines for Open GLES 2.0 and Open VG 1.1 acceleration
• High-resolution WXGA (1280×800) display support
• 16-megapixel camera support
• Built-in eighth-generation gps engine with Standalone-GPS and Assisted-GPS modes
• Support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
• Multiple audio codecs: (AAC+, eAAC+, AMR, FR, EFR, HR, WB-AMR, G.729a, G.711, AAC stereo encode)
• Support for mobile broadcast TV (MediaFLO, DVB-H and ISDB-T)
• Support for Android, Brew Mobile Platform and Windows Phone

[Android and Me]

The post Dual-core HTC Pyramid superphone coming May 2011 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

They have kept all the best things: the easily programmable custom dictionary, punctuation prediction, and amazing word prediction, which doesn’t only predict the word that you are currently typing, but it also has the ability to logically predict the next word in your sentence. Along with the familiar features, Touchtype has added a few extra to adapt it to the tablet and to bring the application into 2011.

This new version of SwiftKey will be a more personal experience. It will be able to analyze your online profiles — Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, your blog, etc. — and through Google’s advanced cloud-based technology, SwiftKey learns how you write and quickly tailors your typing experience, meaning it may quite literally take the words right out of your mouth. It is also multi-lingual, and can facilitate predictions in several different languages simultaneously, offering predictions in the most relevant language automatically, without the need of manual selection.

Lastly, SwiftKeys core prediction engine, Fluency 2.0, is integrated directly into the Honeycomb product allowing for a brand new prediction technique that will integrate each aspect of the typing interface process (from the first two keys pressed to the prediction of sentences), meaning no probability will be left untouched.

All of this will be delivered with a shiny new interface, where the keyboard is split into 3 sections, letters on the left, numbers in the middle and more letters on the right, emphasizing the convenience of typing with your thumbs.

Do you still need a hardware keyboard? I don’t think so.

[AndroidCentral]

The post SwiftKey virtual keyboard for tablets launches alongside Xoom appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

In an attention-grabbing demonstration of phone envy, theme creator Wyndwarrior has effectively created an iPhone theme that duplicates the Windows Phone 7 experiences for your Apple smartphone. It is called OS7 and it’s currently in a public beta phase, you can get in on the action by following the instructions below. Although, this cunning mimic will only work if you are the proud owner of a jailbroken iOS device. If that is the case, then you are welcome to take a trip across over the fence and see if the grass is indeed greener. As of now there has been no word on when the finished product will be available, or how much it will cost, so we will have to wait for the glossy version of the theme, but I think that will be safe to say that it will definitely be cheaper than buying a new Windows Phone.

1. Install Backboard from Cydia.
2. Make sure you have created a “Default” backup, if not, press the add button in Backboard and give it a name.
3. Go on your device and click on this link
4. Press “Yes” and wait for it to download. This may take a few minutes depending on your internet connection.
5. Select OS7 from Backboard. Press Install. Respring.

[Giz]

The post Apple or Microsoft, iOS or Windows Phone 7? Why not both? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

Daimler AG’s Smart Car has been driving around bearing the name as a self-proclaimed genius of automobiles for some time now. Ford on the other hand, has come up with a concept that will attempt to usurp this title and truly certify itself as a genuine “smart” car. Imagine if your car could drive itself, how much safer and more convenient the roads would become with all cars being precisely operated by a machine. Though this is still far from what we can expect to have in the near future, Ford has found a way to once again, take us a step forward by integrating man and machine.

The new intelligent vehicle, and intelligent intersection technology will be able to keep drivers informed and totally aware of their surrounding environment. Through the use of GPS and Wi-Fi connections, vehicles will be able to communicate with each other telling other cars about their speed, where they are going or even if there is a hazard ahead. This means your if there has been a change in the speed or flow of traffic, if there is another vehicle coming into your blind spot or if there is a stalled vehicle around a blind turn, you’ll know well ahead of time. Interestingly they decided to go with using Wi-Fi instead of a cellular network, which may limit the range of the system but cut costs. Though Wi-Fi will still provide enough distance to alert the driver or enable an automatic braking system to avoid any trouble. Using just the same technology that you would find in our laptops and other devices, Ford will finally put some meaning behind the concept of a “smart” or “intelligent” car. Below is a conceptual demonstration of how the system will work.

The post Ford’s Intelligent Cars use Wi-Fi to communicate appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

From a recent report by Digitimes, one of those new opportunities is a Windows Phone 7; through collaboration with Taiwan-based manufacturers, who have confirmed that, a Sony Ericsson Windows Phone is in the pipeline.  The report continues to confirm that Sony will continue to work closely with Taiwan handset makers and will be introducing 3-4 brands, which include devices with QWERTY keypads and touchscreens and products under the Walkman sub-brand. Total orders should reach 10 million units.  Despite this news, like in the past, executives have been careful about what they reveal when discussing future plans for the platform, and so the report does not include any information about any specific devices, nor does it provide us with a potential time we might expect to see new Microsoft-powered phones reach the market from Sony Ericsson. So, Sony Ericsson fans will have to wait to hear what and when they will be able to experience the bits of Sony magic they have come to adore.

[Mobile Crunch via DigiTimes]

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